Georgi Kostadinov (footballer)

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Georgi Kostadinov
Георги Костадинов

| image = Georgi Kostadinov 2018.jpg

| caption = Kostadinov with Arsenal Tula in 2018

| full_name = Georgi Georgiev Kostadinov

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1990|9|7|df=y}}

| birth_place = Tsarevo, Bulgaria

| height = 1.85 m

| currentclub = Levski Sofia

| clubnumber = 70

| position = Defensive midfielder

| youthyears1 = 2004–2008

| youthclubs1 = Naftex Burgas

| youthyears2 = 2008–2009

| youthclubs2 = Chernomorets Burgas

| years1 = 2007–2008

| clubs1 = Naftex Burgas

| caps1 = 10

| goals1 = 0

| years2 = 2009–2011

| clubs2 = Pomorie

| caps2 = 53

| goals2 = 4

| years3 = 2012–2013

| clubs3 = Ludogorets Razgrad

| caps3 = 12

| goals3 = 2

| years4 = 2013–2015

| clubs4 = Beroe

| caps4 = 49

| goals4 = 8

| years5 = 2015–2017

| clubs5 = Levski Sofia

| caps5 = 49

| goals5 = 8

| years6 = 2017–2018

| clubs6 = Maccabi Haifa

| caps6 = 24

| goals6 = 2

| years7 = 2018–2022

| clubs7 = Arsenal Tula

| caps7 = 95

| goals7 = 1

| years8 = 2022–2025

| clubs8 = APOEL

| caps8 = 66

| goals8 = 4

| years9 = 2025–

| clubs9 = Levski Sofia

| caps9 = 11

| goals9 = 1

| nationalyears1 = 2011–2012

| nationalteam1 = Bulgaria U21

| nationalcaps1 = 6

| nationalgoals1 = 1

| nationalyears2 = 2016–

| nationalteam2 = Bulgaria

| nationalcaps2 = 44

| nationalgoals2 = 3

| pcupdate = 17 May 2025

| ntupdate = 15 October 2024

}}

Georgi Georgiev Kostadinov ({{langx|bg|Георги Георгиев Костадинов}}; born 7 September 1990) is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Levski Sofia and the Bulgaria national team.

Career

=Early career=

Born in Tsarevo, Kostadinov began his career with Naftex Burgas. In 2007–08, he helped Naftex win the Bulgarian U19 Championship, scoring the only goal in the final against CSKA Sofia.{{Cite web|url=https://topsport.bg/bg-football/starshata-na-nafteks-vze-titlata-sled-1-0-nad-tsska.html|publisher=topsport.bg|title=Старшата на Нафтекс взе титлата след 1:0 над ЦСКА|date=24 June 2008|language=bg}}

In June 2009, Kostadinov joined Pomorie.

=Ludogorets=

On 16 January 2012, Kostadinov signed for Ludogorets Razgrad.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ludogorets.com/bg/news/?c=3&i=182|publisher=ludogorets.com|title=Още един младежки национал подписа с Лудогорец|date=16 January 2012|language=bg}} His A Group debut was on 18 March, as a substitute against Svetkavitsa, replacing Stanislav Genchev in the 78th minute. Six minutes later he scored his first goal, netting the fourth in a 5–0 victory.

Kostadinov won two Bulgarian League titles, a Bulgarian Cup and the Bulgarian Supercup for Ludogorets, but struggled to hold down a place in the first team, totalling 13 games and two goals.

=Beroe=

On 19 August 2013, Kostadinov joined Beroe Stara Zagora as a free agent.{{Cite web|url=http://www.beroe.bg/2013/08/19/kostadinov-contract-beroe/|publisher=beroe.bg|title=Берое привлече Георги Костадинов|date=19 August 2013|language=bg}} He signed a two-year contract with the club and was given the number 70 shirt. Kostadinov made his debut in the same day in a 0–0 home draw against Cherno More, coming on as an 85th-minute substitute for Élio Martins.{{Cite web|url=https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2013/08/19/bulgaria/a-pfg/pfk-beroe-stara-zagora/pfc-cherno-more-varna/1479513/|publisher=soccerway.com|title=Beroe vs. Cherno More|date=19 August 2013}} He scored his first Beroe goal on 9 March 2014, in a 3–1 away win over Chernomorets Burgas. Kostadinov spent two seasons with the club, where he scored 8 goals in 49 league matches.

=Levski Sofia=

File:Georgi Kostadinov 2016.jpg

After his contract with Beroe expired, Kostadinov joined Levski Sofia. On 3 July 2015, he signed a two-year contract with Levski.{{Cite web |url=https://levski.bg/news/details/174857 |publisher=levski.bg |title=Георги Костадинов подписа с Левски за две години |date=3 July 2015 |language=bg |access-date=21 March 2019 |archive-date=21 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321050227/https://levski.bg/news/details/174857 |url-status=dead }} His competitive debut came against Botev Plovdiv in the opening game of the Bulgarian League season on 18 July, and scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 away draw.{{cite web|url=https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2015/07/18/bulgaria/a-pfg/fk-botev-plovdiv/pfc-levski-sofia/2057333/|publisher=soccerway.com|title=Botev Plovdiv vs. Levski Sofia|date=18 July 2015|language=bg}}

After two successful individual campaigns with Levski, he left the club at the end of his contract in May 2017.{{cite web|url=http://www.dnevnik.bg/sport/2017/05/07/2967088_levski_shte_se_razdeli_s_de_noier_aniete_kostadinov_i/|publisher=dnevnik.bg|title="Левски" ще се раздели с Де Нойер, Аниете, Костадинов и Лукин|date=13 June 2017|language=bg}}

=Maccabi Haifa=

On 22 June 2017, Kostadinov signed as a free agent for Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Haifa on a two-year contract.{{cite web|url=http://www.scouting-team.com/news/2549/georgi_kostadinov_signs_a_contract_with_maccabi_haifa_fc_israel.html|publisher=scouting-team.com|title=Georgi Kostadinov signs a contract with Maccabi Haifa|date=22 June 2017}} He made his competitive debut for the club on 29 July, playing full 90 minutes of a 2017–18 Toto Cup Al match against Bnei Sakhnin at Acre Municipal Stadium; Maccabi won 4–1. Kostadinov played his first Israeli Premier League match on the opening day of the season during their 2–0 away defeat against Bnei Yehuda on 21 August.

On 16 September 2017, Kostadinov scored his first goals in a 4–2 home win over Hapoel Ra'anana.{{cite web|url=https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2017/09/16/israel/ligat-haal/maccabi-haifa-fc/hapoel-raanana-fc/2477148/|publisher=soccerway.com|title=Maccabi Haifa vs. Hapoel Ra'anana|date=16 September 2017}} He scored his second Maccabi goal on 5 May 2018 in a 1–1 draw at Bnei Sakhnin.{{cite web|url=https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2018/05/05/israel/ligat-haal/ihoud-bnei-sakhnin-fc/maccabi-haifa-fc/2758227/|publisher=soccerway.com|title=Bnei Sakhnin vs. Maccabi Haifa|date=5 May 2018}}

=Arsenal Tula=

On 1 July 2018, Kostadinov joined Russian Premier League club Arsenal Tula on a 2+1-year contract, for an undisclosed fee reported to be €200,000.{{cite web|url=https://www.arsenaltula.ru/news/novosti-kluba/georgiy-kostadinov-v-arsenale/|title=Георгий Костадинов – в "Арсенале"|publisher=arsenaltula.ru|date=1 July 2018|language=ru}} On 29 July, he made his competitive debut in their season opener against Dynamo Moscow by replacing Kantemir Berkhamov for the final 32 minutes of a 0–0 home draw. On 5 October 2018, he scored his first Russian Premier League goal in a 1–1 home draw against FC Ufa.

=APOEL=

On 26 July 2022, Kostadinov signed with APOEL in Cyprus.{{cite web|url=https://www.apoelfc.com.cy/article/katarhin-symfonia-me-georgi-kostadinov|title=Καταρχήν συμφωνία με Georgi Kostadinov|publisher=apoelfc.com.cy|date=26 July 2022|language=Greek}} He scored his first goal for the club on 17 September 2022, in a 2–0 away win over Olympiakos Nicosia.

=Levski Sofia (second spell)=

In February 2025, he returned to Levski Sofia, signing a contract until the summer of 2026.{{Cite web|author=Popov, Aleksandar|publisher=dnes.bg|language=Bulgarian|title=Първи зимен "син" трансфер: Левски подписа с Георги Костадинов|url=https://www.dnes.bg/a/9-sport/668385-parvi-zimen-sin-transfer-levski-podpisa-s-georgi-kostadinov|date=4 February 2025|access-date=30 June 2025}}

International career

He was called up to the senior Bulgaria squad by Ivaylo Petev for a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Luxembourg in September 2016.{{cite news|title=Bulgaria - Luxembourg|url=http://bfunion.bg/uploads/Blanka_za_internet_EN.compressed.pdf|access-date=1 September 2016|publisher=bfunion.bg|date=1 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115194156/http://bfunion.bg/uploads/Blanka_za_internet_EN.compressed.pdf|archive-date=15 January 2017|url-status=dead}} Kostadinov earned his first cap on 7 October under new manager Petar Hubchev, playing the full 90 minutes in the 1–4 away loss against France in another qualification match for the 2018 World Cup.{{cite news|title=France vs. Bulgaria 4:1|url=http://www.flashscore.com/match/pMD6Pusd/#lineups;1|access-date=9 October 2016|publisher=flashscore.com|date=7 October 2016}}

On 31 August 2017, Kostadinov scored his second international goal in a 3–2 home win against Sweden.[https://gong.bg/bg-football/nacionalen-tim/multimedia/video/hubchev-preobrazi-bylgariia-natrihme-nosa-na-shvedite-447546 Хубчев преобрази България, натрихме ноcа на шведите]

=International goals=

:Scores and results list Bulgaria's goal tally first.{{cite web|url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/player/65469/Georgi_Kostadinov.html|title=Kostadinov, Georgi|publisher=National Football Teams|access-date=31 August 2017}}

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
class="wikitable"
1.	9 June 2017	Borisov Arena, Borisov, Belarus	{{fb\|Belarus}}	align=center \| 1–2	align=center \| 1–2	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.	31 August 2017	Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria	{{fb\|Sweden}}	align=center\| 2–1	align=center\| 3–2	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
3.	3 September 2017	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	{{fb\|Netherlands}}	align=center\| 1–2	align=center\| 1–3	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Career statistics

=Club=

rowspan="2"\|Club !rowspan="2"\|Season !colspan="3"\|League !colspan="2"\|CupIncludes Bulgarian Cup, Bulgarian Supercup, Israel State Cup, Toto Cup, Israel Super Cup, Cypriot Cup and Cypriot Super Cup matches. !colspan="2"\|Europe !colspan="2"\|Total
class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
rowspan="1"\|Naftex Burgas \|2008–09 \|rowspan="4"\|B Group \|10	0	0	0	colspan="2"\|—	10	0
rowspan="4"\|Chernomorets Pomorie \|2009–10 \|24	1	3	0	colspan="2"\|—	27	1
2010–11 \|18	2	1	0	colspan="2"\|—	19	2
2011–12 \|11	1	0	0	colspan="2"\|—	11	1
colspan="2"\|Total !53	4	4	0	colspan="2"\|—	57	4
rowspan="4"\|Ludogorets Razgrad \|2011–12 \|rowspan="3"\|A Group \|5	2	0	0	colspan="2"\|—	5	2
2012–13 \|6	0	1	0	0	0	7	0
2013–14 \|1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
colspan="2"\|Total !12	2	1	0	0	0	13	2
rowspan="3"\|Beroe Stara Zagora \|2013–14 \|rowspan="2"\|A Group \|19	6	0	0	0	0	19	6
2014–15 \|30	2	1	0	colspan="2"\|—	31	2
colspan="2"\|Total !49	8	1	0	0	0	50	8
rowspan="3"\|Levski Sofia \|2015–16 \|A Group \|29	4	2	0	colspan="2"\|—	31	4
2016–17	First League \|20	4	2	0	2	0	24	4
colspan="2"\|Total !49	8	4	0	2	0	55	8
rowspan="1"\|Maccabi Haifa \|2017–18 \|Israeli Premier League \|24	2	8	0	colspan="2"\|—	32	2
rowspan="5"\|Arsenal Tula \|2018–19 \|rowspan="4"\|Russian Premier League \|26	1	5	0	colspan="2"\|—	31	1
2019–20 \|24	0	1	1	2	0	27	1
2020–21 \|20	0	2	0	colspan="2"\|—	22	0
2021–22 \|25	0	2	0	colspan="2"\|—	27	0
colspan="2"\|Total !95	1	10	1	2	0	107	2
rowspan="4"\|APOEL \|2022–23 \|rowspan="3"\|Cypriot First Division \|25	2	2	0	3	0	30	2
2023–24 \|31	2	1	1	6	0	38	3
2024–25 \|10	0	1	0	10	1	21	1
colspan="2"\|Total !66	4	4	1	19	1	89	6
Levski Sofia \|2024–25 \|First League \|5	0	1	0	colspan="2"\|—	6	0
colspan="3"\|Career total !363	29	33	2	23	1	419	32

=International=

colspan=3\|Bulgaria national team
class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
Year	Apps	Goals
2016	2	0
2017	6	3
2018	8	0
2019	7	0
2020	2	0
2021	8	0
2022	4	0
2024	7	0
Total\|\|44\|\|3

Honours

= Club =

; Ludogorets

; APOEL

Cypriot First Division (1): 2023–24
Cypriot Super Cup (1): 2024

References

External links

{{Soccerway|georgi-kostadinov/124643}}
[http://www.sportal.bg/statistics_player.php?season=206&champ=1&team=6&player=5857 Profile at Sportal.bg]
[http://www.theplayersagent.com/profile/14147/georgi_kostadinov Profile at Theplayersagent.com]
[http://en.levskisofia.info/player/georgi_kostadinov/ Profile at LevskiSofia.info]

Category:1990 births

Category:Living people

Category:Bulgarian men's footballers

Category:Bulgaria men's international footballers

Category:Bulgaria men's under-21 international footballers

Category:Men's association football midfielders

Category:PFC Naftex Burgas players

Category:OFC Pomorie players

Category:PFC Ludogorets Razgrad players

Category:PFC Beroe Stara Zagora players

Category:PFC Levski Sofia players

Category:Maccabi Haifa F.C. players